Spoils of War
by Arwen Jade Kenobi
Summary: After the battle comes a time for healing. 10Rose, series 4 casting spoilers .
1. Chapter 1

The hospital could easily be mistaken for a resort, Jack noted

The hospital could easily be mistaken for a resort, Jack noted. The vast, rolling expanse of land the white building was situated on looked like something out of a tourist handbook. There were vast green fields as far as the eye could see with solitary trees peppering them. Not a sign of civilisation in sight. There was even a pond with ducks swimming on it. Well, they were what looked like ducks but probably weren't. This wasn't Earth, which was something Jack had only found out when he'd had to explain the sudden appearance of a blue box bearing five passengers, three of which were unconscious and in serious need of medical attention to the hospital staff they'd materialised in front of.

He looked over his shoulder at the TARDIS. It was still sitting where Jack had landed her, which was at the side of the hospital where the patients, who were allowed to roam freely, couldn't muck around with her. Jack had no idea how he'd managed to get her there without crashing but he reckoned the TARDIS had helped him out a bit with that one. He'd ask the Doctor later. Whenever the Doctor woke up that was…

The last time Jack had seen the Doctor awake, albeit barely coherent, was when he was being held back, really supported, by two of his captors. Jack and the others had fought long and fought hard. They'd taken out most of the hoard but, when their options and all their back up plans had been used, they found that they were still outnumbered. The enemy was almost as stubborn as they were and it was that almost that they relied on.

It was Rose who had suggested a charge, one final stand to take back what was theirs. It was a foolish plan. Any sensible person would have surrendered. When it came to the Doctor, however, none of them could be described as sensible. Companions appeared to be chosen at random but the Doctor did not hand out TARDIS keys like party favours. He only chose the best and all of them would stand by him until the last.

"It will surprise 'em at least," Rose had shrugged.

"And we'll probably all get killed!" Donna had argued.

"Probably," Rose had agreed. She'd looked at Jack then, resignation and determination mixed in a face that was older than Jack remembered it.

"You sure that's a bright idea?" he'd asked her. It had been an unnecessary question. He had known very well what she was suggesting and why.

"It's either that or we surrender ourselves," she'd sighed, giving an explanation where one really wasn't needed. Probably for the benefit of Martha and Donna, who had only known her for a few short hours. "I don't want to give up. I don't want to surrender-"

"You want to go down fighting," Martha had finished for her. Jack remembered regarding Martha Jones with both surprise and pride. She'd reached for a shotgun and had reloaded it methodically, her jaw already set. "I'm with you." Simple guns had already proven to be slow going, but they did get the job done eventually. "Might as well cause as much of a mess as we can," Martha had added with her eyes fixed on Rose, who had returned the gaze and nodded in appreciation.

"Well if you're going to do this I might as well go down with you," Donna had griped. The complaining was just for show, Jack had known this and so had the others. She had taken the gun Martha tossed her and gripped it tight.

Then they had waited. There had even been an air of impatience amongst them. Jack remembered the way Donna had fidgeted with the safety on her gun, the way Martha had looked at nothing for longer than a second and the way that Rose had seemed to be staring a hole into the space between her feet. The standard threats against both them and the Doctor were yelled, but no real attention was paid to them until the air had echoed with a bone chilling shriek that was all too recognisable. Rose had displayed no reaction save for a slight twinge in her shoulders. Donna had almost rushed out right then but Martha had held her tight, her own face had been expressionless.

"To the last." They were the last words that Jack remembered Rose speaking and they had not been forming a question.

"To the last," they had echoed. No good byes had been said; it had all been done with their eyes.

The mighty yell that had first broken the silence was Donna's, who ran out first. Jack, Martha and Rose had fanned out behind her shouting their own battle cries. Everything had been a blur then. Gunshots, laser blasts, screams, grunts, wails, roars and explosions. At the end of it all, the enemy had fled in terror and only Jack and Martha had been standing.

Martha had been bruised and bloody, looking like the walking dead, but she had remained on her feet. Defiance had radiated in everything from the way she held herself to the shadows in her eyes

Jack had, of course, been unscathed but he was holding the unconscious and battered Doctor in his arms.

Rose had been sprawled out on the floor at Jack's feet. She'd managed to drag the Doctor to safety despite a gaping bullet wound in her side and her left leg being so mangled that Jack was still at a wonder as to how she'd managed it. One final shot through her shoulder, however, had been too much for her and she'd fallen to the floor senseless.

Donna had given everything she'd had and then some, but she had ended lying unconscious before Jack and Martha. Her fists, Jack remembered, had still been clenched in determination. Not even Donna's hard-headedness would have her still standing after being thrown, headfirst, into the wall at break-neck speed.

They were all alive, Jack reminded himself, and would all recover. The TARDIS had had the good sense to send them to an isolated planet where privacy was respected above all else. No questions would be asked of them and they would not be discussed when they left again.

"Hey." Jack had not heard Martha approach. He turned to see her smiling slightly, as good a sign as any. As the only specialist on the planet of human anatomy she'd been instrumental to assisting the Indranese doctors with the treatment of Donna and Rose. Martha knew a little of Time Lord biology and between her and what the other doctors had found in the archives they were able to grant the same quality of care to him.

"Donna's doing loads better," she reported. "She's complaining viciously that there's no cable in her room."

Jack smirked. Donna had suffered some spinal damage and was currently confined to her bed. It was more of a precaution than anything else but she was not making things easy for the staff. "They're trying to broaden their intergalactic reception," Martha continued, a smirk spread across her own face. "But it seems all she wants is iEastenders/i."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Typical," he replied with an amused snort. He waited expectantly for news of how Rose and the Doctor were fairing. He did not have to wait long

"Rose's operation was success," Martha informed him with a noticeable bounce in her voice. "She'll be a bit weak for awhile yet but there will be no lasting damage."

Jack breathed out a sigh of relief at that. There had been some worry whether Rose would be able to keep the leg let alone use it again. "And the Doctor?" he asked carefully.

"Sleeping."

That was nothing new. The Doctor had done nothing but sleep since they'd arrived here three days ago. He paused as he realised that Martha had said 'sleeping' and not 'still comatose'. "Real sleep?" he asked warily.

Martha smiled and nodded so eagerly that Jack thought he head was going to roll off her shoulders. "He woke up for about a minute. I tried to fill him in on what had happened but he dropped off right after I told him where he was."

The only logical response that Jack could formulate in response to all of this good news was to pull Martha into his arms and hug her as tight as he could. Martha reciprocated just as enthusiastically. She had been with Donna, Rose and the Doctor through every step of their treatment. She'd spoken for Rose when the others had wanted to cut the leg off. She'd stood by Donna when fears of brain damage and paralysis had scared them. She'd not given up on the Doctor when he'd fallen into a coma that everyone had been convinced that he'd never awake from. All three would be just fine because of her and no one was more thrilled that everything would be alright.

Eventually Jack released her from the embrace, planted a kiss on her cheek and took her by the hand. "How about we go see how Donna's fairing without Earth television?"

Martha laughed and led him back to the hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

Martha's ears were ringing well before she had even entered Donna's room

Martha's ears were ringing well before she even entered Donna's room. She was surprised that the Doctor or Rose weren't up and complaining at all the noise. It seemed to Martha that entire hospital had to now know that Donna's back was hurting her and the nurse who was trying to help her was useless. Before braving that mess, Martha decided to check on her other, quieter, patients first. The Doctor was sleeping as soundly as he'd been earlier and Rose was in now in the same state. She'd chosen the moment had Martha approached her bed to overcome the anaesthesia and blink heavy eyes at her and Jack. She asked if everyone had made it in a voice that seemed to dissipate on the wind before reaching their ears and she'd promptly passed out after the affirmative response. Jack was worried at the sound of Rose's voice but Martha firmly dismissed them as unnecessary. She took Jack's arm and steered him out of Rose's room and down the hall to Donna's.

Donna was now shouting at the poor nurse about the rules that confined her to the bed, yelling which continued when Martha refused to be of any help after the nurse left the room. She demanded to know the state of both Rose and the Doctor, which was something Martha could do for her. The medical talk actually made Donna shut up and her voice returned to more reasonable volumes. "How much longer do I have to say in here?" she complained after a few moments.

"A day or two," Martha answered as she pushed a chair toward Jack and she settled into her own on the other side of Donna's bed. "Just to be sure everything's fine."

Donna opened her mouth, probably to remind Martha just how 'fine' she was, but closed it. "Thanks," she said suddenly, glancing at both the doctor and the captain. "For getting us all out, I mean."

"Hey it wasn't like we were ever gonna leave you behind!" Martha exclaimed. She reached out and squeezed Donna's hand. "We're TARDIS mates, remember?"

Donna opened her mouth but Jack quickly cut in. "I was tempted to leave her," he deadpanned, "if only for the sake of my sanity and my hearing." Martha chuckled but Donna did not find this funny. She pulled one of her pillows out from under her and tossed it. Her aim was off and it went sailing through the doorway, hitting a pyjama clad Time Lord in the chest with a small "oomph".

Martha was on her feet and rushed to support him as he staggered. "What on Earth are you doing out of bed?" she whispered harshly.

"Lovely to see you too, Martha Jones," the Doctor muttered. Martha glared at him but the light in those eyes and the smile on his lips, something that she'd thought she'd never see again, melted her annoyance and she hugged him tight. He grimaced but hugged back as best he could, which was a bit shy of the rib crushing hugs he was famous for.

"Seems you slept most of that concussion off!" Martha diagnosed brightly as she ushered him over to her chair. The Doctor saluted to Jack, who returned it half jokingly. Before he could sit down Donna grabbed his shirt sleeve and pulled him into her arms.

"Never do that to us again!" Donna scolded.

"A little air please!" he gasped and Martha knew that not all of it was show. "I'm a sick man you know!"

Donna finally released him and he all but fell back into Martha's chair. "Phew!" the Doctor sighed. "Remind me never to get you angry."

"You always forget that," Donna remarked.

"Oh, yeah…" The Doctor suddenly snapped to attention as he realised where he was and where everyone else was. "Blimey!" he shrieked. "What are you doing in a hospital bed, Donna?" He whipped his head to Martha. "Where did those bruises come from?" he asked as he caught glance of the bruises that remained on her temples, she thanked her lucky stars for her lab coat hiding the healing gashes on her arms. He tried to stand to get a better look at them but ended up falling back into a seated position again. "What happened to you all?"

"Doc, calm down," Jack said with his hands held out as if he were trying to calm a child. "What's the last thing you remember before waking up here?"

Martha watched as the Doctor silently scrolled through the memories of his time as a captive and felt her heart tense up at the expressions on his face. She wanted to discuss it all with him, help him ease the burden of his ordeal, but she knew that would only happen when he wanted it to.

"You charged them," the Doctor said in awe. The gaze he fixed on Martha was one of reverence and it made her blush. "You'd essentially lost, but you charged anyway." That same gaze was fixed on both Jack and Donna. Jack held the Doctor's eyes while Donna looked away.

Martha shrugged. "It was the last thing we could do. We weren't going to let you go without a fight." Nor had they wanted to die quietly, Martha thought but didn't say. He knew well enough what the risks would have been and she knew he wouldn't appreciate the reminder.

The Doctor was silent for several moments, long enough that Martha felt like she should go and assess his level of consciousness. Then the infectious energy that usually surrounded him seemed to course anew through the air. He bounded out of the chair and pulled Martha into a proper rib crushing hug. He said nothing for several moments, just hugged her tight before finally whispering "thank you" in her ear. The words were simple, something that'd she'd heard from him before, but it sounded as if he were thanking a deity instead of a friend. It also again made her heart clench at the thought of what he'd been put through.

"You're worth it," she whispered back, humbled beyond offering anything of greater depth.

"Yeah, what she said," Jack gasped out as the life was squeezed out of him. "And someone has to watch your back!"

Donna merely said "you're welcome" as she disappeared into the Doctor's arms. She gasped in pain, causing the Doctor to jump back and release her. The next few minutes consisted of Donna trying to arrange herself better on the bed while swatting the Doctor away from helping her. "I'm fine!" she assured him. "I mean I was almost paralysed but I'm sure I've had worse. Don't mind me."

The Doctor's eyebrows seemed to disappear into his hairline and Donna batted her hand in dismissal before any questions could be asked. "Oh some bloke just threw me into a wall…I think?" She looked to Jack for confirmation, who nodded his head.

"A bit more than that," Martha supplemented. "You gave as good as you got."

"And what a retreat!" Jack whistled, eyes shining with triumph. "Those guys were petrified!"

"I wish I could have seen it!" Donna whined.

"Why didn't you?" The Doctor asked.

"Because," Donna snapped. "Some fat ugly bloke smashed my HEAD into the WALL!" She swatted the Doctor's hand, who gave a theatrical yelp and accompanying glare.

"Hey, _Rose_ was conscious," Jack teased lightly. "She had a worthless leg and a bullet hole in her side and she was still awake longer than you. And she was dragging his dead weight along!" He jerked a thumb at the Doctor.

Donna's retort died as everyone took in the Doctor's face. Colour had drained from it and his eyes were unfocused and distant. Martha moved to kneel by his chair quickly, asking if he was okay and trying to get a proper look at his eyes. He blinked rapidly and shook his head. Martha backed off. "Rose was _actually_ there?" he whispered. "I didn't imagine her?"

Martha shook her head, cupped the side of his face and turned it to look at her. She waited until he was focused on her before speaking. "She was there." She held his gaze unblinking, hoping he would see the truth in her eyes as well as hear it in her words.

"How?" he breathed. "It's impossible, it's-"

"We're not sure," Jack answered. "We didn't get much of chance to ask her and she didn't say. All she did say was that she felt like having impossible for breakfast that morning."

Donna snorted. "She just popped out of thin air one day and started giving orders. Bit rude if you ask me, we'd only just met-"

"Shut up," Martha ordered and waited for the Doctor to assimilate that information. He looked back at her with the eyes of someone trying to hope despite better reservations. "Where is she now? Is she…?"

Martha shook her head furiously. "She's alive. She's two doors down and fast asleep." She continued to hold his gaze as she moved onto Rose's health. "She had surgery today to fix her leg and a few other injuries she had, she was shot twice you see," the Doctor winced but she kept going. "She'll live." Martha smiled lightly. "She won't be quite up to running for her life with you right away but she will be soon enough."

The Doctor's eyes closed and released a breath that he'd been holding throughout Martha's speech. He whispered something in some language she didn't recognise and then asked if he could see her. She nodded. "Two doors down," she directed again as she stood up and helped him to his feet. "Want to be alone with her?"

He nodded and Martha didn't object. By rights he should have someone in there with him, or at least be monitored, but she couldn't find it in her heart to do it. They'd all bought his freedom with their own blood and it was only fair to let him use it. Plus this was a moment that begged for privacy. The only other person who had known Rose beforehand had already had his moment with her. The Doctor had more than earned his.


	3. Chapter 3

Martha helped him to the doorway, for to his annoyance he found that the simple walk would tire him too much to actually make it into the room

The Doctor had needed Martha's help to get to Rose's room. When he had stood up in Donna's room he had ascertained, really Martha had, that the short walk would tire him too much to actually make it into the room. All that hugging had wiped him out more than he'd realised. Hearing that one of his greatest wishes had come true probably hadn't helped things either. He leaned against the doorway to gather his strength and Martha asked if he'd like her to help him in.

The Doctor shook his head. "I can make it," he said stubbornly. He would make it. He didn't understand why but he knew he had to make it to her side under his own power. There was no reason for it, but it seemed that everything he'd heard since waking up was something that should have never happened.

One companion taking a stand for him was something he could understand. After all, they needed him to get around and, usually, needed him to keep them alive. Four companions, three of which were former ones, though…four lives he'd touched, ruined or made better depending on who you asked taking a suicidal last stand in a foolish attempt to rescue him was just that. It was something he'd do, or had done for any of them but to see the favour returned was both strange and humbling. As he slowly shuffled into the room, and heard Martha's footsteps receding into the distance, he replayed that image of the charge in his head.

Donna Noble had been out in front. Her red hair had been fanned out behind her, her gun had been raised in the air and she'd been screaming like a madwoman. Jack Harkness and Martha Jones had flanked her. Jack had had nothing but his fists and had been shouting something that appeared to be "bring it on!" with a devilish grin on his face as he'd punched his first attacker in the face hard enough to knock teeth out. The mere memory of Martha's roar was as vivid as though she had been standing right there; as was the image of her holding a shotgun like a spear and charging into the fray.

Rose Tyler had been beside Martha, tucked almost at the edge of his vision. The fury of the Bad Wolf was the only comparison that he could bring up as his mind's eye brought her cry to his ears and the sight of her leaping onto the nearest attacker like some avenging angel. It echoed Bad Wolf, to be sure, but had been all Rose Tyler. Rose Tyler had been ready to die for him.

They i_all/i_ had been ready to die for him and two of them nearly had. He was thankful for the chair by the bed as he collapsed into it, a combination of his own weariness and the weight of that realisation. Then he looked at the woman on the bed.

At first glance she looked exactly the same, save for the fading bruises and gashes on her face and hands. It was almost as if Canary Wharf had never happened, as if the past two years had never happened. Then the image of the charge floated back to him and he got a proper look at her in his mind's eye. She was different. The way she held herself and the reflections in her eyes told him of her age. He didn't know how long it had been for her but it was definitely longer than it had been for him.

He stared at her hand. He was afraid of grabbing that hand and watching it fade into nothing. He was also afraid that if he touched her he'd never be able to stop. That he'd want to take her inside of himself, make her a part of him so that she'd never be ripped from him again.

Rose whispered something and the Doctor leaned forward. He'd barely heard it, he wouldn't have noticed had there been anything else even remotely interesting in the room, though he couldn't think of anything more interesting than Rose Tyler at this moment. He heard it again: it was his name. She wasn't awake, nearly there but not quite and she was thinking of him. Did she think of him as much as he thought of her?

He grabbed her hand now and squeezed it tight, just like the old days. "Right here," he whispered. His voice was thick and his eyes were stinging but he made no effort to hide it. "I'm right here, Rose."

Her eyes finally opened. The Doctor knew well enough that time could not stop, and that he would know it in his hearts and bones if it had, but the feeling that it had remained as his eyes locked with hers for the first time in far too long. A weak smile crossed Rose's face. It was barely a smile, a barely evident upward curve of one side of her mouth. Blink and you'd miss it. "Hello," she breathed. And it was a breath, little more than that. He'd never seen her like this, never seen her this fragile…

"Shhh," he found himself hushing, squeezing her hand again and resting his free hand on her forehead. "You should be resting or something…"

Rose's eyes fluttered shut and she sighed again. Her hand lightly squeezed his and her free hand slowly, painfully slowly, made its way toward his face. A tear escaped the Doctor's control as the warm fingers reached his cheek. She was here, she was actually here. This wasn't a dream; he wasn't going to wake up alone in the TARDIS. i_She was here./i_

When the Doctor opened his eyes, he hadn't even realised they'd been shut, another tear escaped but it was nothing compared to the rivers coursing from Rose's eyes and down her pale cheeks. The image of her sobbing on that bloody beach came to him: he never wanted to see that look on her face again. Never wanted to see her cry again.

With the greatest care he released Rose's hand and moved his arms under her and, very gently, he pulled her up to him. She had to have been hurting but no reaction aside from a slight crinkling around her eyes was given. The Doctor felt a tug at his hearts each time it happened but all was, at long last, well with the universe when she was finally in his arms. He arms slowly snaked around him but she couldn't squeeze. Neither could he for that matter; he was too tired now. For the first time in years, everything felt right. Rose was not the same, but neither was he. They were changed, matured, broken, whatever way you wanted to look at it and it didn't matter either way. They were together and the universe would end before they were separated again. Rose lifted her head and they regarded each other sternly. An understanding then, the Doctor knew. The universe would end i_twice/i_ before either of them allowed something like Canary Wharf to happen again.

"I love you." The words were sudden and a bit out of place but they were just as suddenly so easy to say. He didn't know what had held him back from telling this wonderful human how adored she was before now, but he vowed to never let it stop him again.

Rose opened her mouth but no sound came out. The Doctor found that he didn't need to hear the words to know that her feelings were unchanged. Her face told him more than any words could. That and he could read lips.

It was easier than the Doctor had ever imagined it, so easy to press his mouth to hers. The kiss was a chaste one, a simple matter of lips pressing lips and that was that. Like they didn't need to hug the daylights out of each other to show how much they'd missed one another, they didn't need to snog the breath out of each other to prove the depths of their feelings.

Rose was first to pull back and very slightly inclined her head toward the bed. The Doctor tried not to be disappointed as he gently laid her back down. He was reaching for the covers when her hand grasped his wrist and tugged. Her eyes were shut again but she mouthed "stay".

"You sure?" he whispered.

One eye cracked open and the Doctor decided that even a frail and exhausted Rose Tyler could still give a glare worthy of Jackie Tyler. He shifted Rose a little further to the edge of the bed and carefully climbed in after her. She snuggled right up to him and the Doctor wrapped his arms around her. They both sighed contentedly at the same moment and then Rose promptly left him for the Land of Nod.

With a kiss to her forehead and a mocking whisper of "I keep telling you not to wander off," the Doctor followed her lead.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor was unconscious in her arms

The Doctor was unconscious in her arms. He was really only asleep but he'd drifted off so suddenly that Rose equated it with unconsciousness all the same. He'd been unconscious many times over the past while and she rather preferred the idea that this sleep was taken in her arms whist she sat against a tree. An interesting tree with purple, weeping willow-esque leaves in fact which provided more than adequate shade. The Doctor had not seen sunlight in far too long and being directly under it proved highly uncomfortable.

Rose had led him toward this tree as soon as she'd spotted it. Or really he'd led her. It had been two days and all of her wounds were mostly healed but her leg was still refusing to support her weight. Walking with a limp proved both frustrating and tiring so the Doctor had been quick to offer his arm, despite the fact that it still seemed that a swift breeze would blow him over and he himself could barely walk a straight line without assistance. Martha said his sense of direction would be off for a little while yet.

"You're still here."

Rose looked down at the man, thinking to herself that he looked impossibly adorable gazing up at her with those huge brown eyes and that awestruck expression on his face. He looked simultaneously like a child regarding its mother and like a penitent man looking up to his god. She smiled and leaned down to kiss him. "Still here," she whispered against his lips. "Not leaving you again."

The Doctor hummed contentedly and he shut his eyes again. "Good," he murmured. He shifted just so his ear was over her heart and Rose hugged him closer, resting her cheek against the top of his head. "You know this wasn't the reunion I was hoping for," he said after a long and comfortable silence.

Rose raised an eyebrow. She looked out toward the vast expanse of green fields before them and back at him. "What on Earth were you expecting then?"

"Well I wasn't really expecting anything," the Doctor confessed. "Hopes and expectations are two completely different things. What I'd _hoped_, Rose Tyler, was something a little more…active."

Rose smirked. "Ah. You were expecting some sort of bedroom Olympics then?"

The Doctor blushed. "Well not right away!" he sputtered. "I mean…um…oh dear…" He was trying to backtrack but it just wasn't working, yet it was somehow endearing.

Rose chuckled and shoved him gently so he was lying on his back beside her. He stared at her like a kicked puppy but she thought nothing of it, she was going to wipe that expression right off his face. She had managed to straddle the Doctor when that plan came to a halt when a spasm rocked through her injured leg. She scrambled off of him, clutching the leg as though it were being sawed off. The Doctor sat bolt upright and tried to get to her but fell back onto the blanket almost immediately, eyes shut tight but still facing Rose. He'd moved too fast and he still got dizzy far too easily, she noted in some back part of her mind that wasn't focused on the pain.

"You alright?" Rose asked through clenched teeth.

He cracked one eye open and cautiously nodded after a moment. "You?"

"It'll stop any second now." Rose slammed her eyes shut and turned her attention back to riding out the pain. Martha had said everything was healing nicely, her leg would be itself soon enough and Rose knew she was quite lucky to have escaped with only this. Moments like this one, however, made her think that that time couldn't come soon enough. Soon enough, though, she felt the muscles unclench and she relaxed her grip on the leg. "I see what you mean now," she sighed as the Doctor pulled her cautiously close to him.

"What?"

"Not the ideal reunion."

"Well," he chuckled. "I've been told anticipation is a good thing."

Rose's answering chuckle was muffled against his shirt so she shifted a bit further, carefully, back so she could have a proper face to face conversation with him. The Doctor looked down at her leg, studied it as if it were a complex problem and then shook his head at her. "Rose Tyler, how in the universe did you manage to carry me with your leg mangled that badly?"

"I have no idea," she laughed. "I probably had so much adrenaline pumping through me that it could have been a tonne of bricks on my back and I still wouldn't have been bothered. Besides," she reached out to touch his cheek. "It was that or let them have you, and I wasn't about to have any of that."

"None of you were," he whispered, his eyes fixed on her.

Rose shook her head. "Nope," she pronounced, popping the p in a perfect imitation of his voice. The Doctor turned his face to kiss her palm and he whispered his thanks. Rose nodded in return and carefully rolled onto her back. They said nothing for a while, just staring up at the shelter of the tree above them and the skies they would soon be returning to together. Rose was reminded strongly of their trip to New Earth when she returned her gaze to the Doctor. It was a similar study here as it had been there: marking differences and similarities against the man she had previously known. She'd probably get a better result once he was a bit better, she decided. She liked to think that the tiredness about him and the shadows in his eyes were mostly because of what he'd recently been through and not anything else.

"How long has it been for you?" he asked suddenly, his comment addressed her shoulder. "Not that it matters," he added quickly when Rose didn't answer right away and grabbed her hand. She silenced him before he could babble further and told him.

"Six years," she said quickly, hopefully not too quickly. She didn't want him to think she was ashamed.

The Doctor blinked at her. "Two for me," he answered before Rose could ask. "Six years, Rose Tyler, _really_?"

"Did I age really, really well or something?"

"No, no – I mean yes, you look lovely. Simply lovely!" He took a moment to collect his thoughts; Rose knew he was tired whenever that happened. "What I mean to say is," he said, "that I could tell it had been longer for you, it's in the eyes it's always in the eyes. I just had, well, hoped that it hadn't been quite so long." He reached out with his free hand to touch her face, his face falling into a sullen expression. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

Rose rolled her eyes and batted his hand away. "Don't be daft, it wasn't your fault. I'm the one who let go of that stupid lever remember?"

"I couldn't reach you."

"Well if you'd moved you would have been sucked into the Void and I'd rather have been stuck in the parallel world knowing you were alive than being stuck there knowing you were stuck somewhere far worse." Rose didn't want to have this fight. What had happened had happened and there was nothing either of them could do about it now.

The Doctor seemed to agree with her line of thinking "Oh I don't know about that," he countered. "You managed to break a hole into this world easily enough without bringing about the end of two universes." He was grinning at her and his eyes were dancing with amusement, but there was seriousness in his voice. "If anyone could get me out of there it would be you."

"And I would have tried," Rose said in the same tone. "Don't think I wouldn't have done." It was true. Powerless as she might have felt, she would have tried as tirelessly to find away back as she had to find her way back home.

The Doctor squeezed her hand; Rose had forgotten they'd still been holding hands. "Wouldn't dare think otherwise," he assured her. "Now tell me, Rose Tyler, how you managed to get back over here. Oh! And do tell me about your life in the other universe. How was Torchwood? How's Mickey the Idiot? How's Jackie and the baby! How—what?!"

Rose was laughing now. Long, loud and hard. The Doctor arched an eyebrow at her as he patiently waited for her to finish. "Oh, some things never change," she said breathlessly.

The Doctor looked at her expectantly. Rose refrained from rolling her eyes again, she didn't want a headache. "Are you going to stay awake for all this or are you going to drop off in the middle?"

One glare answered that question and she fell easily into the narrative of her life after Canary Wharf. She told him all about her job, all the wonderful things she'd seen, all the things she'd done. He'd commented on a lot of it, pointing out the differences between what he'd seen in this universe. He'd been a bit put out at the idea that there were no Time Lords at all in this universe; Rose said that it was simply his ego talking.

"You're lucky I'm too tired to make you regret saying that."

"You're lucky I'm too tired to point out that that's not exactly a threat. Now, as I was saying…"

Rose finished up her tale with the dirt on Mickey (married with a son now) and Jackie (hands full with the terror that were the Tyler twins) and the Doctor had remained awake for the entire time. "Was it a good life?" he asked her when he was sure she'd finished.

"It was fantastic," she said honestly. "Something was always missing though," she added pointedly. "I think it's all fixed now." She smiled brightly at him and was glad to see that mischievous smirk cross his face. She hadn't seen it in so long. "So, you've got to fill me in now! Tell me how you met the others. Donna mentioned something about you ruining her wedding."

"It wasn't like that!" The Doctor protested. "Wasn't like it was intentional or anything. Did her a favour in the end! "

"Explain it to me then."

The Doctor did just that. His tale was just as animated and wonderful as her own but she could tell he was leaving a few things out. Not totally, just fudging exactly how hard some things were and skipping over details in some instances. She had done very much the same thing in her own adventures. So, Rose knew that nothing would come of forcing it. They'd ask each other for full details one day and one day they'd both be ready to tell. She hoped that he'd tell her or one of the others about his ordeal sooner rather than later, but, again, she didn't want to force it. She settled for squeezing his hand and saying "I'm glad you found friends. The last thing I wanted was for you to be alone."

He squeezed back. "I'm so glad you're back." It was a near echo of a time he'd said something similar. A familiar warmth filled her and she gave him the same answer that she had in that dungeon.

"Me too." They exchanged a smile before the Doctor suddenly remembered that they had to get back to the hospital. Martha wanted to give them all a final once over before they were discharged. "Can't we just stay here a little longer?" she asked.

"We'll be late," the Doctor countered.

"They'll be expecting that," Rose observed. "We've both got mobility issues and we both tire easily. They'll expect us to be at least five minutes late."

"Five minutes you say?"

Rose held up her free hand and waggled her fingers and thumb at him.

"Well," the Doctor postulated as he leaned toward her. "I suppose five minutes won't hurt anyone."

"Not at all," Rose agreed just before their lips met.


	5. Chapter 5

Donna had no words to describe how happy she was to finally be out of bed

Donna had no words to describe how happy she was to finally be out of bed. She reckoned that lying around on her back for nearly a week had done far more damage to her spine than the actual injury had. Not like any of the others had agreed with her of course but it was something she was used to. She could get used to a lot of things apparently; it was a talent that never ceased to surprise her. The fact that she was standing on a planet worlds away from Earth no longer fazed her. The fact that her travelling companion was an alien with two hearts and a ridiculously long lifespan was mere commonplace. The fact that she had met, and liked, the infamous Rose Tyler, however, was something that was only now just settling in.

Rose had been the stuff of legend in the Doctor's head. It was like sitting with the old drunk in the pub that rambled on and on about "the one that got away," Martha had said. Everything had been Rose this and Rose that in the beginning. Despite this typical daftness Donna still have to give him points for not repeating the same thing with her. That really didn't matter though, Donna knew enough without the constant reminders.

Despite all this, finally meeting Rose had been a strange experience. She'd appeared so suddenly that she hadn't had time to really absorb the fact; granted she had had other things on her mind at the time. Rose was as normal a human being you could get. She was a shop girl with no A-levels who had simply grabbed the Doctor's hand when he'd told her to run. An incident that no one could have guessed would have had as far reaching implications as it had, but one thing Donna had learned while traveling with him was the fact that individuals and how they react in different circumstances often made history.

Rose wasn't a superhero, and that an expectation that Donna hadn't even realised she'd held. She was, however, the woman the Doctor loved and that made her perfect. Donna remembered the feeling and hoped that the Doctor didn't find himself in the same situation she had. Your lover turning out to be a double agent to an invading race wasn't an experience she recommended. Not that it was a situation likely to happen of course.

"I'm surprised you aren't plotting a shopping trip, Donna," Jack said from his place beside her. They were leaning against the TARDIS doors, waiting for the others to come out. Martha was insistent upon one final once over of both the Doctor and Rose, much to both of their annoyances. Donna had laughed long and hard at them and then had rushed out with Jack before either one of them could throw something at her.

"That's first on the list," Donna assured him. "I reckon we'll be heading someplace quiet after all this mess."

Jack snorted. "Do you honestly believe that?"

Donna had to concede that point. "I can hope though," she flashed a meaningful look at her friend. "After all this I believe anything can happen."

"I've always been rather fond of hope myself!" Donna smiled at the Doctor as he approached, or was rather being guided by Rose, toward them. They were a strange but fitting sight to behold. Rose could walk without the Doctor, but she couldn't do it as easily. The Doctor on the other hand couldn't walk a straight line without her.

Martha appeared behind them, smiling triumphantly. "That was rather fast," Jack observed. "How did you pull it off?"

Martha shrugged indifferently. "Threatened to leave them here. It's not like either of them can run after us."

"Oi," Rose cried. "You can't make fun of cripples!"

"Or people who will walk into walls if left unattended," the Doctor added with a pointed glare at Rose. Martha and Rose shared a giggle over that and Donna made a mental note to ask for details later. First things first though. She reached into her pocket for her TARDIS key and opened the doors. The group all followed her and she knew the others were just as relieved to all be standing here together as she was.

It was too quiet behind her, she decided, and she turned to see Rose covering every corner of the console room with her eyes. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand while the Doctor looked at her with the most loving gaze Donna had ever seen. Donna then remembered that this was Rose's first time in the TARDIS in six years

"Welcome home, Rose," Martha whispered. The TARDIS hummed pointedly. "I think she missed you," she added.

"I missed her too." Rose steered her and the Doctor toward one of the pillars so she could lay her hand against it. "It took me almost three months to relearn how to fall asleep in a quiet room."

Martha nodded her agreement and Donna wondered if she'd have the same trouble when she left. She couldn't imagine going to sleep without it.

"Best sleeping aid in the world," the Doctor agreed. "No insomnia on the TARDIS with that lovely sound." He placed his hand on the pillar beside Rose's. "Missed you too, old girl," he whispered to the ship. The TARDIS thrummed happily. "Everything's in its right place," he announced. It was with an air of finality and, Donna thought, also an attempt at processing that everything had, for once, gone right for him.

"I hate to ruin the moment," Martha said carefully. "But I really should be heading back."

"Me too," Jack added. "The last time I vanished without a word my team almost mutinied."

"And I want to go shopping," Donna declared.

The Doctor laughed tiredly at Donna's declaration. She couldn't quite tell whether it was because he was actually tired or because he was so used to hearing her say that. He looked at Martha and Jack. "You don't want to come with us? The more the merrier, after all."

It was a question that he knew the answer to, but Donna knew he had to ask. Had to at least try. He'd never discussed it really with her but she knew that he'd felt terribly about not being able to be what they'd wanted. Everything was alright now but that didn't erase the guilt. Nothing probably ever would.

Martha and Jack were looking at each other, trying to gauge what the other was going to say. "What about for a couple days?" Rose offered. "A vacation this time maybe?" she glared pointedly at the Doctor. "Something that involves as little running for our lives as possible."

"You can't run at all," the Doctor pointed out.

"Neither can you," Rose countered with a glare.

"I can so run!"

"Not in a straight line, you can't!"

"Better to avoid whatever we're running from that way!"

Rose groaned. Martha and Jack exchanged equally aggravated glances and Donna just had to laugh at the pair of them. She hadn't seen the Doctor this relaxed and at home in all the time she'd know him. The look in Rose's eyes softened and the Doctor grinned brightly at her. "I think we can manage a vacation," he said. "I think I know just the place."

"Famous last words," Jack chuckled. "But I think I can risk a bit longer away from the team. As long as our pilot gets us there on the same day we left." He turned to Martha. "What's your prognosis, Doctor?"

The Doctor's eyes were wide and pleading. Rose was waiting in patient impassivity but her eyes were just as pleading as his. There was no way they could be resisted and Donna rolled her eyes in amusement as Martha nodded her head in agreement. "I'm with Jack though," she warned. "You return us the day we left and in Cardiff please! I don't want to have to get a lift out of Siberia or something thank you!"

The Doctor had stopped listening at the nod and rushed toward the console, nearly missing it completely when Rose's arm slipped from his. Rose managed to catch her balance while Martha moved forward to stop the Doctor from smashing into a wall. The TARDIS thrummed in a mix of concern and irritation, or at least that's what Donna interpreted it as.

"I'm fine," the Doctor replied in answer to unasked questions. He his hand moved for his right elbow and he started. "Rose?" The question was in a forced casual tone of voice, but the worry and fear was there plain enough.

"Over here and I'm fine," Donna caught Rose's glance and they both rolled their eyes.

"Talk about bloody separation anxiety!" Donna scoffed as she watched Martha steer him back toward Rose. The tension melted from the Doctor's face the second that Rose's arm was linked in his.

"You're a rubbish crutch, you know that?" Rose lectured.

"I am a brilliant crutch!" At Rose's stare he amended that he perhaps could be improved.

"You gonna stay with them?" Jack asked Donna quietly. She hadn't even noticed him move beside her.

"I'm not sure," she replied. Things hadn't gotten awkward yet and it seemed that they were stilling willing to spend time with people other than each other. She'd had mates before who had started dating and then no one else in the world had existed. You couldn't even get them out for a night with the group with out them ogling each other and snogging like they were alone. Rose and the Doctor hadn't stooped that that level quite yet but the minute they did she was going to let them know about it.

It was different for Martha and Jack, she knew. It would always be different for them.

Jack was now flipping levels on the console and checking readouts. She didn't ask how Jack knew how to fly the bloody thing but she reckoned that both he and the TARDIS had an understanding. How else would they have escaped that mess otherwise?

"We're going to Ipscallis 9," Jack announced, "completely home to the best beaches, and beachfront shopping in the universe."

"You sure there aren't sand monsters lurking about?" she asked. "Or shark people?"

"That would be Ipscallis 8," Jack chuckled

"Isn't that Ipscallis 7?" The Doctor cut in.

"EIGHT," Rose and Jack said in unison. "I almost both my legs on Ipscallis 8," Rose griped. "And I also recall that we ended up on Ipscallis 8 because we were trying to get to Ipscallis 9."

"I'd never-"

"Oh yes-"

"SHUT IT!" Donna shrieked. The silence was wonderful, she decided. If only no one had ever woken up, she found herself wishing. Perhaps she could have some peace. "Ipscallis 9 sounds brilliant. Let's go there and if we end up on any of the other numbers it's your head mister!" she stabbed a finger at the Doctor, whose jaw dropped in outrage, and then left the rest of them standing there.

She heard footsteps running after her and only realised it was Martha when she felt the hand on her elbow. "Was that really necessary?" she asked.

"You watch," she smirked. "We'll actually get somewhere now!"

Soon enough the TARDIS rumbled and shook, they were off again. Donna grinned in triumph "Shall we go find beach wear then?" she suggested.

"And something we don't mind running for our lives in," Martha added with a wary laugh.

As they wandered down to the wardrobe, exchanging their hopes for the trip, Donna wished they all could stay together this way. It was a foolish hope, she knew. Jack and Martha had lives they had to get back to, and even Donna knew that one day she'd leave as well. They all left in the end, the Doctor had told her once. Companions were never meant to stay forever.

Her thoughts once again turned to Rose. Yes, Rose had left him and Donna was unsure that it was Rose the companion who had returned. Her return was either the exception to the Doctor's rule or the start of something new. Either way worked for Donna, and she reckoned either way worked for the Doctor.


	6. Epilogue

"Martha?"

The severity in the Doctor's voice startled her. She pushed herself up off her towel into a seated position and lowered her sunglasses. "What is it?"

The Doctor was the only one of the group not wearing a bathing suit, despite all of Jack's efforts to get him into the tiniest swim trunks Martha had ever seen. Rose said she would pack her bags for the other universe the day she saw him wearing them and the Doctor was terrified of them anyway. At least he had the good sense to take off the suit jacket, tie, socks, and shoes and to pop open a few buttons on the shirt. It had been Donna who demanded that his trouser legs and shirt sleeves be rolled up and he had been smart enough to oblige her. "Look over there," he directed firmly.

The scene that Martha's attention was called to was Jack and Rose in the middle of a game of beach volleyball. Jack was obviously trying to adapt his serve for Rose's current level of mobility. Rose's back was to them but Martha knew that Rose was resenting this gentlemanly gesture and insisting that he just hit the bloody thing.

"I see nothing dangerous about this situation," Martha reported. She tried to keep her next comment sounding like she hadn't already said it eighteen times. "Rose knows the limits of the leg an-"

"Look at Rose," the Doctor cut in.

Martha did so again and then glared back at the Doctor in amusement. "Keep your fantasies to yourself, mister!"

"No, I mean-"

Martha chuckled. "Last I checked string bikinis were not illegal."

"NO," he snapped in frustration. "Look at her back!"

At first Martha was confused. Rose Tyler's back was not a novelty. They'd all seen it. That faint criss-crossing scar that pattered down from the base of Rose's neck and stopped just above the top of her bikini bottoms made her back one of the more memorable ones Martha had seen…

Martha's brain suddenly stopped. When thought processes returned she alternated her gaze between Rose's scar and the Doctor's eyes. This study brought three very important conclusions to her mind: That the Doctor had never seen that scar before, that he knew what would cause that scar, and that it really was not good.

"I take it you've never seen that before?" she found herself asking.

"And you have?" he asked her.

"I did examine her."

"Why didn't you say something?"

Martha glared at him again. "To her or to you?" she asked with a touch of annoyance. "I am a doctor, a PROPER doctor, you know? I don't just blab about everyone's medical exams." The Doctor began to take on that puppy dog expression and began to say something. Martha silenced him with a glare. "Besides," she continued. "It's old. I was a little more worried about a mangled leg and a couple bullet holes than some old scar tissue."

"Of course," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she assured him automatically. "Now, I do believe you know how she got that scar or you wouldn't look so very ill right now."

He nodded. "Endrite torture," he said in this strange mix of awe and fear. "They rip open your back at the spine, just like opening a zipper, and plug nodes into your spinal cord. The nodes stimulate every nerve in there at once at the push of a button. It's just…the most exquisite pain you can ever imagine…actually I'm not even sure anyone can imagine that." He shuddered and kept quiet again. Martha knew that this reaction could simply be because he couldn't imagine someone doing that to Rose, but it was clear that she was alive and well. Which left only one other possibility.

"That's what they did to you?"

"Yep."

He didn't want pity; she knew he wouldn't want that. It took every force of will not to give him any. This was, to her knowledge anyway, the first time he'd even discussed his captivity with anyone. So she turned it back to Rose. "Rose didn't recognize the aliens and I didn't see any scars on you."

"Fendrites got me," the Doctor explained. "They do a better job of sewing you back up than the Endrites do. You lot also got to me faster."

"How long do you think she was with them?" Martha threw a hand over her mouth. "No, sorry, forget I asked. Just forget it."

"Thirty standard days" he replied, sounding more like a textbook than a living person.

Shouts of outrage were heard from the court and Martha turned to see Donna massaging her head and yelling at Jack and Rose. Jack and Rose were laughing and apologizing all at once. Rose turned to pick up the ball, giving Donna full view of her back.

"What the hell is that?" she asked.

Rose looked at her in confusion then turned her head to see the scar. She waved a hand in dismissal. "Old war wound," she told her. "Now how's about making good on those threats, yeah?"

"Talk to her about it," Martha told him. "And you talk back," she said sternly. "You need to talk about it and she's not going to open her mouth one inch without a good reason. Especially since it's been so long for her and the scar itself doesn't bother her; she wouldn't be wearing a bikini otherwise."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Agreed."

That was all the Martha got out about him on the subject.

- - - - -

"I am a tomato."

The Doctor looked up to see Rose, still clad in that pink string bikini, waltz into his bedroom looking much redder than he'd last seen her. "Well, I wouldn't say tomato," he said. "Not quite red enough."

Rose placed her hands on her hips and turned around to display her back. Some park of the Doctor's mind registered that her back was closer in colour to a tomato but his eyes were all for that black scar, which now stood out all the more.

"See what I mean?" she asked, completely oblivious what was going on behind her. "Bit closer to tomato, yeah?" She moved her hands to grasp the door frame and all the Doctor could see was shackled wrists and an exposed spinal column.

"A little," the Doctor squeaked. He hadn't meant his voice to come out quite that way but it made Rose turn around fast enough to lose her balance. The Doctor didn't remember getting up and catching her, but the next thing he was holding her up by the forearms and she was regarding him carefully.

"What is it? Have I got third degree burns back there?"

He shook his head.

"Then what is it?"

How long ago had it been for her? How much time would need to pass for her to effectively forget the circumstances around that horrific scar?

The light of comprehension dawned in Rose's eyes. "That's nothing," she told him firmly. "Not as bad as it looks." She was confident and even a bit forceful. It was a lie she'd had to have told many times but he was different than anybody else she'd spoken to about it. She was banking on the fact that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't know what had really happened. It would be easy on both of them to just pretend he didn't know. But Martha was right, Martha was always right.

He held her tighter. "I know what that scar means." Rose tried to pull out of the hug but the Doctor held her firm. "It's what happened to me," he whispered into her ear. "It's what you saved me from."

Rose tensed in his arms and then pushed him far enough for her to look up at him. It was a complete reversal of roles from earlier this morning. "Please tell me that's not true."

"I can't do that," he said. His fingers started tracing Rose's scar.

"Please." It was a plea. A plea that her ordeal could not possibly have ever happened to anyone she cared about. His own voice echoed back to him, reminding him that Rose had been captive for at least a month. He couldn't imagine the hell that a human would have gone through let alone this certain human. One week had been more than enough for him.

He shook his head. "I don't have scars but it did happen."

Rose shook her head violently. Tears were starting to build in her eyes. "I don't believe you," she sobbed. "I can't believe…I said no one else, no one else I said…"

He held her close again and, and as Rose sobbed into his shirt, thought that everything he could say to her wouldn't be enough to get her to believe it. He watched his hands tracing the scar and had an idea. He whispered her name and waited until she looked up at him to waggle his fingers at her. He didn't expect her to accept and almost immediately started having second thoughts. He wanted to help her and he wanted to share his story with someone who understood.

"I'll show you too," Rose told him and he saw the same fear in her eyes. Fear of reliving her experience and knowing exactly what he had gone through. She took his hands and let him to his bed. When they were both lying down on it she led his hands to her temples and nodded her consent.

The Doctor decided he'd show first and once again he found himself bound and shirtless. Wide awake and fully aware as his back was opened and the nodes were attached. Across from him, instead of the leader who had always been watching him he saw Rose bound, shirtless and enduring her own grotesque operation. It wasn't the Rose he knew now but the Rose he had known before, he saw after observation. Beyond the grit and blood he saw the younger face, the platinum blonde hair and dark roots, and realised that her ordeal must have been very soon after their farewell and he again cursed himself for never being able to find a way to her.

"No use worrying about it now." He heard Rose's voice in his head and he looked over at her. Her teeth were grit and she held his eyes. "Together this time, yeah?" she gasped.

He nodded. "Together," he forced out.

Together they rode through the operation. Together they were with each other through countless torture and interrogation and when the Doctor's ended, the fight Rose and the others had put up and the final charge as much as the Doctor could remember being the closing scene, and Rose's continued he stayed with her. He watched as her experiences with her captors was intensified, her only reason for being sane was her constant attempts to escape, despite all the pain those efforts caused her.

She eventually did though. His clever girl found her way out of there alone. She'd dragged herself out of there and met her own rescue party at the doors. He withdrew as gently as he'd entered and he met Rose's wide, tear stained eyes when full awareness returned to him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to him.

"Don't be," he whispered back.

"I said no one else would ever go through that," she said forcefully. "No one."

"Hey," he soothed. "You lot got me out, didn't you? I'm right here, aren't I? Or aren't I here? Who am I really?"

"Oh stop it," she pinched him. "You're here all right, just as surely as I'm here."

"But are you you?" he teased.

"Rose Marion Tyler," she reported in military fashion. "Torchwood Agent 8704213, London division." She grinned. "Yourself?"

"The Doctor," he saluted. "Ermmmm…unaffiliated?"

Rose laughed. "Good enough," she agreed. "Now," she continued, "any volunteers to rub some lotion over this impressive sunburn I've got on my back."

The Doctor waved his hand around in the air. "Oh me, me, me! Pick me!" The bedside table drawer popped open and the Doctor reached over to pull out a tube Rose's preferred moisturizer. "The TARDIS even approves!"

"Good enough for me then," she leaned over him and kissed him. "Thank you," she told him.

There was a bundle of things in there she was thanking him for. Thanking him for sharing what had happened with her, thanking him for dealing with her own experience.

"And thank you," he replied in kind. "Now," he pressed on. "I believe we have certain things we must attend to."

Rose's smile was all too cheeky as she reached behind her to undo her top. "Indeed we do," she agreed. "Plenty to do."


End file.
